1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to improvements in portable outdoor cooking grills, and more particularly, to an improved portable outdoor cooking grill apparatus capable of directing the flow of heated air interiorly of the grill housing to promote more rapid and uniform cooking of food placed thereon all of the while preventing food grease, fat or other drippings from coming into contact with the grill's heat source.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A common feature in portable outdoor grills (e.g. barbecue grills) is the use of a drip pan or grease catcher to prevent flame ups or grease fires. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,319 (Holland) there is disclosed a portable outdoor barbecue grill having a housing, a food support shelf or cooking grate, a heat source or burner at the bottom of the housing, a heat deflector positioned above the burner, and a grease collector or drip pan disposed between the heat deflector and the cooking grate. The drip pan in turn, has inclined rectangular sides joined to an inclined trough or channel medially thereof. At the lowermost end of the trough is a downspout terminating in a valve for collecting and discharging grease, drippings, and so on, through the bottom of the housing.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,137 (Brugnoli) the grease catcher is provided in the form of a pan located underneath the cooking grate or food support shelf wherein the pan includes a spout for channeling the grease or other drippings into a conduit feeding a reservoir located underneath the grill's gas burner. The drip pan is substantially the same size as and is substantially coextensive with the cooking surface defined by the grate.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,477 (Lingwood) there is disclosed a bowl-shaped drip pan or grease collector disposed between the cooking grate and the burner or other heat source.
It will be observed that in each of the foregoing patented cooking devices, the provision of the grease catcher or drip pan requires that the heated air from the burner or other heat source must travel upwardly and around the grease pan to reach the cooking surface. As a result, the heated air flowstream is concentrated in a relatively narrow annulus between the periphery of the grease pan and the outer wall of the grill housing. This, in turn, results in non-uniform impingement of heated air onto the cooking griddle or food support grate. The bottom of the food being cooked on the grate is heated indirectly for the most part by radiated heat from the grease collecting drip pan whereas the top of the food is heated more directly by heated air circulating around the sides of the drip pan, the inside surface of the grill's top or cover, until finally, the heated air impacts the top surface or upper regions of the food being cooked on the grate. This state of affairs prolongs the cooking process, often results in non-uniform cooking, and requires the food to be manually turned frequently on the grate to assure that it is adequately "done on both sides." Against this prior art background, it would be desirable if means were provided to enable heated air from the grill's heat source to be distributed directly and uniformly along the underside of the cooking griddle substantially throughout the griddle's horizontal extent, without impairing the important function of a grease collector or drip pan disposed between the heat source and the griddle in order to safeguard against flame ups or grease fires.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use grease collectors or drip pans in portable outdoor cooking appliances, such as in barbecue grills or the like, the prior art described above does not teach nor suggest a cooking apparatus which includes means for enabling the flow of heated air upwardly from a heat source in a housing so that it is will impinge directly upon the underside of a cooking grate substantially throughout the horizontal extent thereof and which at the same time functions to divert grease or other drippings falling from the cooking surface away from the grill's heat source thereby preventing unwanted flame ups or grease fires. This long felt need and vexing problem has been uniquely solved by the present invention, as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Still other objects and advantages attained by the present invention will be rendered evident from the following detailed description thereof.